That was in February and Milton's gone back a couple of times, dropping off diapers or clothes or checking up on them.

"I have made mistakes in my life also," he says. He knew he wanted to help.

What happened next

Soon after the shoplifting incident, when Milton's sergeant called him in, he thought he was in trouble.

It was the opposite.

The department heard about the little girl and decided to share her story.

The support was overwhelming. It received numerous calls to help the family.

And soon, it will post clothing sizes of the children on its Facebook page so people can help donate.

"The way that Officer Milton handled this incident showed that not only is he here to enforce the law but also to go the extra mile and be a bigger part of the community he is policing," the department told CNN.